The Pacific Islands

Port Moresby: Ronald Langston, principal, Langston Global
Enterprises, and former national director of the U.S. Minority Business
Development Agency (MBDA), spoke at the University of Papua New Guinea
regarding global strategies for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) May
11. Langston’s visit to Papua New Guinea was arranged by the U.S.
Embassy.

Langston’s message was loud and clear. “We need
you,” he stressed. “Businesses in the U.S., particularly those that are
minority owned need to form partnerships and create linkages with
companies in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

In Langston’s view, Pacific Islanders are part of
the African Diaspora. “I see the faces of my family in Papua New
Guinea,” he said.

Like Blacks in America, Papua New Guineans, he
explained have suffered from a lack of effective leadership. “It is time
to unshackle ourselves from the atmosphere of poverty, underdevelopment
and marginalization,” said Langston.

Langston is on a journey to promote and advocate
for establishing a bond of mutual interest in fostering the business
case for a global strategic growth alliance for small and medium
enterprises in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands with minority
business enterprises in the United States.

Lessons Learned

The first thing that Langston noticed while serving
as national director of the MBDA was the absence of U.S. minority
enterprises engaged in the global economy. “These businesses, working in
partnership with global SMEs have the potential to establish
collaborative advantage premised not on financial capital but in the
value of social capital. In the long view, human capital will reward
investment with unforeseen opportunities,” said Langston.

He also pointed to the need for a global strategic
alliance across borders among what the African Diaspora.

“Unfortunately,
the current model for investment in emerging markets is formulated
within the narrow realm of financials,” he said. “Investors are
preoccupied with the economics of the deal, while neglecting the
political, cultural, organizational and human aspects of the
partnership.”

According to Langston, microbusinesses, usually run by
women, dominate advancing emerging markets. “It is critical,” he said
to grow them into SMEs and from there to advance to size, scale and
capacity to employ and competitively engage the global economy.”

Globally, SME owners must see themselves as a team
with the urgent need to achieve scale in the local marketplace before
expanding regionally, nationally and globally. “We still do not see
ourselves as owners or prime contractors,” he said. “We are not
sufficiently prepared to compete and, therefore, we have been forced to
accept subordinate status. We do not see the potential or imagine that
we can be global entrepreneurs. This keeps us in a perpetual status of
underlings.”

Challenges

Shifting
the economies of nations in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands
will require a major effort. “What is needed is access to capital,
education and technology,” said Langston. “Obviously, money and
investment are key to setting up a business, but beyond that companies
need managerial skill. You need the right people in the right seats on
the right bus heading the right direction,” he emphasized. “You also
need someone who has the courage to kick the wrong people off.”

Langston was scathing in his criticism of poor
leadership and of talk shops that do not lead to results. “We must
change. We must find good leadership. We must pursue excellence and that
means results not activity. We need execution, execution, execution.”

What does success look like? Langston pointed to
Asians, particularly the Chinese. “In the U.S.,” said Langston, “Asians
make up only 3 percent of the population, but their businesses account
for two-thirds of all minority business revenue. Yes, I am jealous of
those highly successful networks.” He stressed, however, that he was not
preaching resentment but resemblance. “Let’s learn from their example,”
he urged.

Langston closed his remarks on an optimistic note. “The sun, the moon
and stars are all aligned,” he said. “It is time for people in Papua New
Guinea to rise to the challenge. Let them trust their fellow citizens.
Let them empower their women. Let them believe that they can accomplish
great things.”